Budget Priorities

by Vince

Ezra Klein calls out the GOP for their priorities that protect the super rich at the cost of the poor. Choosing to cut programs mainly dealing with the poor and leaving unscathed tax cuts for the rich and military funding is worth criticism:

The Pentagon is burning through a lot more cash than Head Start. Medicare spends much more for health services than Medicaid. The mortgage-interest tax deduction is regressive, as is the deduction for employer-based health care, but as of yet, Republicans haven’t proposed reforming either. Again, I’m not saying Republicans don’t care about poor people. But so far, their policy proposals don’t. And you can’t chalk it up to an appetite for sacrifice, because for all that the GOP is asking from the poor, they’ve fought hard to protect the rich from having to make any sacrifices. So far, it’s been program cuts for the poor and tax cuts for the rich. It’s a disappointing set of priorities.

And this is the GOP – the party that claims to be the religious one, the one who has a monopoly on God and biblical morals. Has the biblical idea of justice been muted by this predominantly white group?

Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims — laws that make misery for the poor, that rob my destitute people of dignity, exploiting defenseless widows, taking advantage of homeless children. What will you have to say on Judgment Day, when Doomsday arrives out of the blue? Who will you get to help you? What good will your money do you? (Isaiah 10:1-3, The Message)